新概念英语3 第三单元（L41~60）课文挖空默写
Lesson 41 Illusions of pastoral peace
The quiet life of the country has never appealed to me. 1. , I have always regarded the country as something you look at through a train window, or something you occasionally visit during the weekend. Most of my friends live in the city, yet they always 2. the country. Though they 3. the peaceful life, only one of them has ever gone to live in the country and he was back in town within six months. Even he still 4. that country life is somehow 5. town life. He is forever talking about the friendly people, the clean atmosphere, 6. and the gentle pace of living. Nothing can be compared, he maintains, with the first cockcrow, 7. , the sight of the rising sun glinting on the trees and pastures. This 8. is only part of the picture. My friend fails to mention the long and friendless winter evenings in front of the TV -- virtually the only form of entertainment. He says nothing about 9. in the shops, or about those unfortunate people who have to travel from the country to the city every day to get to work. Why people are prepared to tolerate a four-hour journey each day for the dubious privilege of living in the country is beyond me. They 10. if they chose to live in the city where they rightly belong.
If you can do without the few pastoral pleasures of the country, you will find the city can 11. . You never have to travel miles to see your friends. They invariably live nearby and 12. an informal chat or an evening’s entertainment. Some of my acquaintances in the country come up to town once or twice a year to visit the theatre 13. . For them this is a major operation which involves considerable planning. 14. , they wonder whether they will ever catch that last train home. The city dweller never 15. . The latest exhibitions, films, or plays are only a short bus ride away. Shopping, too, is always a pleasure. There is so much variety that you never have to 16. . Country people run wild when they go shopping in the city and 17.
as many of the exotic items as they can carry. Nor is the city without its moments of beauty. There is something comforting about the warm glow shed by advertisements on cold wet winter nights. Few things could be more impressive than the peace that 18. at weekends when the thousands that travel to work every day 19. in their homes in the country. It has always been a mystery to me why city dwellers, who appreciate all these things, 20. they would prefer to live in the country.
Lesson 42 Modern Cavemen
Cave exploration, or pot-holing, 1.______________, is a relatively new sport. Perhaps it is the 2.______________ or the chance of making an unexpected discovery that lures people down to the 3.________ of the earth. It is impossible to give a 4.______________ for a pot-holer's motives. For him, caves have the same 5.______________ which high mountains have for the climber. They 6.________________ which can only be dimly understood.
Exploring really deep caves is not a task for the Sunday afternoon rambler. Such undertakings require the precise planning and 7.___________________. It can take as long as eight days to rig up rope ladders and to establish 8.___________ before a descent can be made into a very deep cave. 9.______________of this sort are necessary, for it is impossible to 10.______________________ of the difficulties which will confront the pot-holer. The deepest known cave in the world is the Gouffre Berger near Grenoble. It 11.________________ of 3,723 feet. This immense chasm has been formed by an underground stream which has 12.___________________ through a flaw in the rocks. The entrance to the cave is on a plateau in the Dauphine Alps. As it is only six feet across, it is 13._________________. The cave might never have been discovered has not the entrance been spotted by the distinguished French pot-holer, Berger. Since its discovery, it has become a sort of pot-holers' Everest. Though a number of descents have been made, much of it still 14.________________________.
A team of pot-holers recently went down the Gouffre Berger. After entering the narrow gap on the plateau, they climbed down the 15.__________ of the cave until they came to narrow corridor. They had to edge their way along this, sometimes wading across shallow streams, or swimming across deep pools. Suddenly they came to a waterfall which dropped into an underground lake at the bottom of the cave. They 16.____________ the lake, and after loading their gear on an inflatable rubber dinghy, let the current carry them to the other side. To protect themselves from the icy water, they had to wear special rubber suits. At the far end of the lake, they came to huge piles of rubble which had been washed up by the water. In this part of the cave, they could hear an 17.____________ booming sound which they found was caused by a small waterspout shooting down into a pool from the roof of the cave. 18.___________________ a cleft in the rocks, the pot-holers arrived at an enormous cavern, the size of a huge concert hall. After switching on powerful arc lights, they saw great 19.____________ -- some of them over forty feet high -- rising up like tree-trunks to meet the stalactites suspended from the roof. Round about, piles of limestone glistened in all the colours of the rainbow. In the eerie silence of the cavern, the only sound that could be heard was made by water which 20.__________________ from the high dome above them.
Lesson 43 Fully insured
1. ______________ are normally willing to insure anything. Insuring public or private 2. is a standard practice in most countries in the world. If, however, you were holding an open air garden party or a fete it would be equally possible to insure yourself in the event of bad weather. 3. , the bigger the risk an insurance company takes, the higher the you will have to pay. It is not uncommon to hear that a shipping company has 4. the cost of 5. . But the claim made by a local authority to recover the cost of salvaging a sunken pie dish must surely be unique. 6. it was an unusual pie dish, for it was eighteen feet long and six feet wide. It had been purchased by a local authority so that an enormous pie could be baked for an 7. fair. The pie committee decided that the best way to 8. the dish would be by canal, so they insured it for the trip. 9. it was launched, the pie committee went to a local inn to celebrate. At the same time, a number of teenagers climbed on to the dish and held a little party of their own. Dancing proved to be more than the dish could bear, for during the party it 10. and sank in seven feet of water. The pie committee telephoned a local garage owner who arrived in a recovery truck to salvage the pie dish. 11. in their wet clothes, the teenagers looked on while three men 12. into the water to 13. the dish.
They had little 14. it, but hauling it out of the water proved to be a serious problem. The sides of the dish were so smooth that it was almost impossible to attach hawsers and chains to the 15. without damaging it. Eventually chains were fixed to one end of the dish and a powerful winch was 16. . The dish rose to the surface and was gently drawn towards the canal bank. For one agonizing moment, the dish 17. on the bank of the canal, but it suddenly 18. and slid back into the water. The men were now obliged to try once more. This time they fixed heavy metal clamps to both sides of the dish so that they could fasten the chains. The dish now had to be lifted 19. because one edge was resting against the side of the canal. The winch was again put into operation and one of the men started up the truck.
Several minutes later, the dish was successfully hauled above the surface of the water. Water streamed in torrents over its sides with such force that it set up a huge wave in the canal. There was danger that the wave would rebound off the other side of the bank and send the dish
20. the water again. By working at tremendous speed, the men managed to get the dish on to dry land before the wave returned.
Lesson 44 Speed and comfort
People traveling long distances frequently have to decide whether they would prefer to go by land, sea, or air. Hardly anyone can positively enjoy sitting in a train for more than a few hours. Train compartments soon 1. . It is almost impossible to 2. the journey. Reading is only a partial solution, for the monotonous rhythm of the wheels clicking on the rails soon 3. . During the day, sleep 4. . At night, when you really wish to go to sleep, you rarely manage to do so. If you are lucky enough to get a sleeper, you spend half the night staring at the small blue light in the ceiling, or 5. your ticket for inspection. 6. . Long car journeys are even less pleasant, for it is quite impossible even to read. On motorways you can, at least, travel fairly safely at high speeds, but more often than not, 7. is spent on roads with few service stations and too much traffic. By comparison, 8. offer a great variety of civilized comforts. You can 9. , play games, meet interesting people and enjoy good food -- always assuming, of course, that the sea is calm. If it is not, and you are likely to 10. , no form of transport could be worse. 11. , sea journeys take a long time. Relatively few people are prepared to sacrifice holiday time for the pleasure of traveling by sea.
Airplanes 12. being dangerous and even hardened travelers are intimidated by them. They also have the disadvantage of being an expensive form of transport. But 13. speed and comfort. Traveling at a height of 30,000 feet, far above the clouds, and at over 500 miles an hour is 14. . You do not have to devise ways of taking your mind off the journey, for an airplane gets you to your destination rapidly. For a few hours, you 15. to enjoy the flight. The real escapist can watch a film and sip champagne on some services. But even when such refinements are not available, there is plenty to 16. . An airplane offers you an unusual and breathtaking view of the world. You 17. high mountains and deep valleys. You really see the shape of the land. If the landscape is hidden from view, you can enjoy the extraordinary sight of unbroken cloud plains that 18. , while the sun shines brilliantly in a clear sky. The journey is so smooth that there is nothing to 19. . However you decide to spend your time, one thing is certain: you will arrive at your destination fresh and uncrumpled. You will not have to spend the next few days 20. .
Lesson 45 The power of the press
In democratic countries any efforts to 1. ______________ of the press are rightly condemned. However, this freedom can easily be abused. Stories about people often attract far more public attention than political events. Though we may enjoy reading about the lives of others, 2. _____________ whether we would equally enjoy reading about ourselves. 3. ___________________ that facts are sacred, reporters can cause untold suffering to individuals by publishing details about their private lives. Newspapers 4. ____________________ that they can not only bring about major changes to the lives of ordinary people but can even overthrow a government.
The story of a poor family that 5. ________________ overnight, dramatically illustrates the power of the press. The family lived in Aberdeen, a small town of 6. _______________ in South Dakota. As the parents had five children, life was a 7. _______________. They were expecting their sixth child and were faced with even more 8. _______________. If they had only had one more child, the fact 9. ____________. They would have continued to struggle against economic odds and would have lived in obscurity. But they suddenly became the 10. ________________, four girl and a boy, an event which radically changed their lives. The day after the birth of the five children, an aeroplane arrived in Aberdeen 11. ____________________.
The rise to fame was 12._________. Television cameras and newspapers carried the news to everyone in the country. Newspapers and magazines offered the family huge sums for the 13. _____________to publish stories and photographs. Gifts 14. ___________ not only from unknown people, but from baby food and 15. ____________ who wished to advertise their products. The old farmhouse the family lived in was to be replaced by a new 16. __________ home. Reporters kept pressing for interviews so lawyers had to be employed to 17. ____________ for the family at press conferences. While the five babies were still quietly sleeping in 18. ___________ in a hospital nursery, their parents were paying the price for fame. It would never again be possible for them to 19. _____________. They had become the victims of 20. _____________, for their names had acquired a market value. Instead of being five new family members, these children had immediately become a commodity.
Lesson 46 Do it yourself
So great is 1 _______ doing things for ourselves, that we are becoming 2 _______ on specialized labor. No one can 3 _______ of a subject any longer, for there are 4 _______. Armed with the right tools and materials, newlyweds gaily 5 _______ the task of decorating their own homes. Men, particularly, spend hours of their leisure time 6 _______ their own fireplaces, laying out their own gardens; building garages and making furniture. Some really 7 _______ go so far as to build their own computers. Shops cater for the do-it-yourself craze not only by running special 8 _______ for novices, but by offering consumers bits and pieces which they can assemble at home. Such things provide an excellent outlet for pent up 9 _______, but unfortunately not all of us are born handymen.
Some wives tend to believe that their husbands are 10 _______ and can fix anything. Even men who can hardly drive a nail in straight 11 _______ electricians, carpenters, plumbers and mechanics. When lights fuse, furniture gets rickety, pipes get clogged, or vacuum cleaners fail to operate, some woman assume that their husbands will somehow put things right. The worst thing about the do-it-yourself game is that sometimes even men live 12 _______ that they can do anything, even when they have repeatedly been proved wrong. It is 13 _______ as much as anything else.
Last spring my wife suggested that I call in a man to look at our lawn mower. It had broken down the previous summer, and though I promised to repair it, I had never 14 _______ it. I would not hear of the suggestion and said that I would fix it myself. One Saturday afternoon, I hauled the machine into the garden and 15 _______. As far as I could see, it needed only a minor adjustment: a turn of a screw here, a little tightening up there, a drop of oil and it would be as good as new. 16 _______ the repair job was not quite so simple. The mower firmly refused to mow, so I decided to dismantle it. The garden was soon littered 17 _______ which had once made up a lawn mower. But I was extremely pleased with myself. I had 18 _______ of the trouble. One of the links in the chain that drives the wheels had snapped. After buying a new chain I was faced with the 19 _______ of putting the confusing jigsaw puzzle together again. I was not surprised to find that the machine still refused to work after I had reassembled it, for the simple reason that I was left with several 20 _______ which did not seem to fit anywhere. I gave up in despair. The weeks passed and the grass grew. When my wife nagged me to do something about it, I told her that either I would have to buy a new mower or let the grass grow. Needless to say our house is now surrounded by a jungle. Buried somewhere in deep grass there is a rusting lawn mower which I have promised to repair one day.
Lesson 47 Too high a price
Pollution is1.___________ for an overpopulated, 2. _____________ planet. When you come to think about it, there are only four ways you can deal with rubbish: 3.______ it, burn it, turn it into something you can use again, 4._______ produce less of it. We keep trying all four methods, but 5. __________ __of rubbish we produce worldwide 6._________________.
Rubbish, however, is only part of the problem of polluting our planet. The need to produce ever-increasing quantities of cheap food leads to a different kind of pollution. Industrialized farming methods produce cheap meat products: beef, pork and chicken. The use of 7. __________ ____ produces cheap grain and vegetables. The price we pay for cheap food may be already too high: Mad Cow Disease (BSE) in cattle, salmonella in chicken and eggs, and wisteria in dairy products. And if you think you'll 8.____________________________, you have the choice of very expensive9. __________ vegetables or a steady diet of pesticides every time you think you're eating fresh salads and vegetables, or just having10. __________ glass of water!
However, there is an even 11. __________ of pollution that particularly affects urban areas and invades our daily lives, and that is noise. Burglar alarms going off at any time of the day or night serve only to annoy passers-by and actually12. __________ to burgle. Car alarms constantly scream at us in the street and are a source of13. __________. A recent survey of the effects of noise revealed (surprisingly ) that dogs14. _____________ in the night rated the highest form of noise pollution on a scale ranging from one to seven. The survey revealed a large number of sources of noise that we really dislike. Lawn mowers whining on a summer's day, late-night parties in apartment blocks, noisy neighbors, vehicles of all kinds, especially large container trucks thundering through quiet villages, planes and helicopters flying overhead, large radios carried round in public places and played 15. ____________. New technology has also made its own 16. ___________ to noise. A lot of people object to mobile phones, especially when they are used in public places like restaurants or on public transport. Loud conversations on mobile phones invade our thoughts or interrupt the pleasure of meeting friends for a quiet chat. The noise pollution survey revealed a rather surprising and possibly amusing old-fashioned source of noise. It turned out to be snoring! Men were found to be 17. ______________It was revealed that twenty percent of men in their mid-thirties snore. This figure rises to a 18. ___________ sixty percent of men in their sixties. Against these figures, it was found that only five percent of women snore regularly, while the rest are constantly woken or kept awake by 19. _______________Whatever the source of noise, one thing is certain: silence, it seems, has become a 20. ______________.
Lesson 48 The silent village
In this much-travelled world, there are still thousands of places which are 1. __________________________. We always assume that villagers in remote places are 2. __________________________. But people who are 3. _______ not only from foreign tourists, but even from their own countrymen can 4. ______________ travellers. Visits to really remote villages are 5. __________________ —— as my wife and I discovered during a tour through the Balkans.
We had spent several days in a small town and visited a number of old churches 6. ___________________. These attracted many visitors, for they were not only 7. _____________________________, but contained a large number of 8. __________________________________ as well. On the day before our departure, several bus loads of tourists 9. ______________ the town. This was more than we could bear, so we decided to spend our last day 10. ____________________________. Taking a path which led out of the town, we crossed a few fields until we came to a dense wood. We expected the path to 11. ____________, but we found that it traced its way through the trees. We 12. _______________ the wood for over two hours until we arrived at a deep stream. We could see that the path continued on the other side, but we 13.____________ how we could get across the stream. Suddenly my wife spotted a boat 14. ____________________. In it there was a boatman 15. ________________. We gently woke him up and asked him to 16. ___________________________. Though he was reluctant to do so at first， we eventually persuaded him to take us.
The path led to a tiny village perched on the steep sides of a mountain. The place consisted of a straggling unmade road which was lined on either side by small houses. Even under a clear blue sky, the village looked forbidding, as all the houses were built of grey mud bricks. The village seemed deserted, the only sign of life being an ugly-looking black goat on a short length of rope tied to a tree in a field nearby. Sitting down on a dilapidated wooden fence near the field, we opened a couple of tins of sardines and had a picnic lunch. All at once, I noticed that my wife seemed to be 17. ____________________. Looking up I saw that we were surrounded by children in rags who were looking at us silently as we ate. We offered them food and spoke to them kindly, but they 18. ___________________. I concluded that they were simply shy of strangers. When we later walked down the main street of the village, we were followed by a silent procession of children. The village which had seemed deserted, immediately 19. ________________. Faces appeared at windows. Men in shirt sleeves stood outside their houses and glared at us. Old women in black shawls peered at us from doorways. The most frightening thing of all was that not a sound could be heard. 20. ________________________ that we were unwelcome visitors. We needed no further warning. Turning back down the main street， we quickened our pace and made our way rapidly towards the stream where we hoped the boatman was waiting.
Lesson 49 The ideal servant
It is a good thing my aunt Harriet died years ago. If she were alive today she would not be able to 1.__________________on her favourite topic of conversation: 2.________________. Aunt Harriet lived in that leisurely age when servants were employed to do housework. She had a huge, rambling country house called 'The Gables'. She was 3._______________this house, for even though it was far too big for her needs, she 4._____________ living there long after her husband's death. Before she grew old, Aunt Harriet used to 5._______________. I often visited The Gables when I was boy. No matter how many guests were present, the great house was always 6.___________. The parquet floors shone like mirrors; highly polished silver was displayed in gleaming glass cabinets; even my uncle's huge collection of books was 7._________________________ from dust. Aunt Harriet presided over an invisible army of servants that continuously scrubbed, cleaned, and polished. She always referred to them as 'the shifting population', for they came and went 8.______________________ that I never even got a chance to learn their names. Though my aunt pursued what was, in those days, an 9._________________, in that she never allowed her domestic staff to work more than eight hours a day, she was extremely difficult to please. While she always 10._____________ of human nature, she carried on an unrelenting search for the ideal servant to the end of her days, even after she had been sadly 11.______________ by Bessie.
Bessie worked for Aunt Harriet for three years. During that time she so 12.__________________________ that she was put in charge of the domestic staff. Aunt Harriet could not find words to praise Bessie's 13.________________________. In addition to all her other qualifications, Bessie was an expert cook. She acted the role of the perfect servant for three years before Aunt Harriet discovered her 'little weakness'. After being absent from the Gables for a week, my aunt unexpectedly returned one afternoon with a party of guests and instructed Bessie to prepare dinner. Not only was the meal 14._____________ the usual standard, but Bessie seemed unable to walk steadily. She bumped into the furniture and kept 15.______________ the guests. When she came in with the last course -- a huge pudding -- she tripped on the carpet and the pudding went flying through the air, 16.________________ my aunt, and crashed on the dining table with considerable force. Though this caused great mirth among the guests, Aunt Harriet 17._____________. She reluctantly came to the conclusion that Bessie was drunk. The guests had, of course, realized this from the moment Bessie opened the door for them and, long before the 18.___________________, had had a difficult time trying to conceal their amusement. The poor girl was 19._____________________. After her departure, Aunt Harriet discovered that there were piles of empty wine bottles of all shapes and sizes neatly stacked in what had once been Bessie's wardrobe. They had 20._______________found their way there from the wine cellar!
Lesson 50 New Year resolutions
The New Year is 1. __________________. Mentally, at least, most of us could 2. __________________ of 'dos' and 'don'ts'. The same old favorites recur year in year out with 3. __________________. We resolve to get up earlier each morning, eat less, find more time to play with the children, do a thousand and one jobs about the house, be nice to people we don't' like, drive carefully, and take the dog for a walk every day. Past experience has taught us that certain accomplishments are 4. __________________. If we remain 5. __________________, it is only because we have so often experienced the frustration that results from failure. Most of us fail in our efforts at 6. __________________ because our schemes are too ambitious and we never have time to carry them out. We also make the 7. __________________ of announcing our resolutions to everybody so that we look even more foolish when we slip back into our bad old ways. Aware of these pitfalls, this year I attempted to keep my resolutions to myself. I limited myself to two modest ambitions: to do 8. __________________ every morning and to read more of an evening. An all-night party on New Year's Eve provided me with a good excuse for not carrying out either of these new resolutions on the first day of the year, but on the second, I 9. __________________ to the task.
The daily exercises lasted only eleven minutes and I proposed to do them early in the morning before anyone had got up. The 10. __________________ required to drag myself out of bed eleven minutes earlier than usual was considerable. Nevertheless, I managed to 11. __________________ into the living room for two days before anyone found me out. After jumping about on the carpet and twisting the 12. __________________ into uncomfortable positions, I sat down at the breakfast table in an 13. __________________. It was this that 14. __________________. The next morning the whole family 15. __________________ to watch the performance. That was really unsettling, but I fended off the taunts and jibes of the family good-humoredly and soon everybody got used to the idea. However, my 16. __________________. The time I spent at exercises 17. __________________. Little by little the eleven minutes fell to zero. By January 10th, I was back to where I had started from. I argued that if I spent less time exhausting myself at exercises in the morning, I would keep my mind fresh for reading when I got home from work. Resisting the 18. __________________ of television, I sat in my room for a few evenings with my eyes glued to book. One night, however, feeling cold and lonely, I went downstairs and sat in front of the television pretending to read. That proved to be my undoing, for I soon got back to my old bad habit of 19. __________________ in front of the screen. I still haven't given up my resolution to do more reading. In fact, I have just bought a book 20. __________________ How to Read a Thousand Words a Minute. Perhaps it will solve my problem, but I just haven't had time to read it!
Lesson 51 Predicting the future
Predicting the future is 1. difficult. Who could have imagined， in the mid 1970s， for example， that by the end of the 20th century， computers would be as common in people's homes as TV sets？ In the 1970s， computers were common enough， but only in big business， government departments， and large organizations. These were the so-called 2. . Mainframe computers were very large indeed， often
3. whole air-conditioned rooms， 4. and run on specially-written software. Though these large machines still exist， many of their functions have been 5. small powerful personal computers， commonly known as PCs.
In 1975， a primitive machine called the Altair， was 6. in the USA. It can properly be described as the first 'home computer' and it pointed the way to the future. This was followed， at the end of the 1970s， by a machine called an Apple. In the early 1980s， the computer giant， IBM produced the world's first Personal Computer. This ran on an 'operating system' called DOS， produced by a then small company named Microsoft. The IBM Personal Computer was widely copied. From those humble beginnings， we have seen the development of the 7. home computers and multimedia machines which are in common use today.
8. how recent these developments are， it is even more 9. that as long ago as the 1960s， an Englishman， Leon Bagrit， was able to predict some of the uses of computers which we know today. Bagrit 10. the idea that computers would learn to 'think' for themselves and would 'rule the world'， which people liked to believe in those days. Bagrit 11. when computers would be small enough to hold in the hand， when they would be capable of providing information about traffic jams and suggesting 12. ， when they would be used in hospitals to help doctors to 13. ， when they would 14. office workers and 15. dull， repetitive clerical work. All these computer uses have become 16. . Of course， Leon Bagrit could not possibly have foreseen the development of the Internet， the worldwide system that municate instantly with anyone in any part of the world by using computers linked to telephone networks. Nor could he have foreseen how we could use the Internet to 18. information on every known subject， so we can read it on a screen in our homes and even print it as well if we want puters have become smaller and smaller， more and more powerful and cheaper and cheaper. This is what makes Leon Bagrit's predictions 19. . If he， or someone like him， 20. alive today， he might be able to tell us what to expect in the next fifty years.
Lesson 52 Mud is mud
My cousin, Harry,1. shaped bottle on permanent display in his study. Despite the fact that the bottle is tinted a 2. of green, an observant visitor would soon notice that it is filled with what looks like a thick greyish 3. . If you were to ask Harry what was in the bottle, he would tell you that it contained 4. . If you expressed 5. , he would immediately invite you to smell it and then to 6.rub some into your skin. This 7. would dispel any further doubts you might entertain. The bottle really does contain perfumed mud. How Harry 8. of this outlandish stuff makes an interesting story which he is fond of 9. . Further- more, the acquisition of this bottle cured him of a bad habit he had been developing for years.
Harry used to consider it a great joke to go into expensive cosmetic shops and 10. for goods that do not exist. He would invent 11. on the spot. On entering a shop, he would ask for a new perfume called 'Scented Shadow' or for 'insoluble bath cubes'. If a shop girl told him she had not heard of it, he would 12. be considerably put out. He loved to be told that one of his imaginary products was temporarily out of stock and he would faithfully promise to call again at some future date, but of course he never did. How Harry managed to13. ___________ during these performances is quite beyond me.
Harry does not need to 14. explain how he bought his precious bottle of mud. One day, he went to an 15. shop in London and asked for 'Myrolite'. The shop assistant looked puzzled and Harry repeated the word, slowly stressing each syllable. When the girl shook her head in 16. , Harry went on to explain that 'myrolite' was a hard, amber-like substance which could be used to 17. . This explanation evidently conveyed something to the girl who searched shelf after shelf. She produced all sorts of weird concoctions, but none of them 18._________ Harry's requirements. When Harry put on his act of being mildly annoyed, the girl promised to order some for him. Intoxicated by his success, Harry then asked for perfumed mud. He expected the girl to look at him in 19. . However, it was his turn to be surprised, for the girl's eyes immediately lit up and she 'fetched several botties which she placed on the counter for Harry to inspect. For once, Harry had to admit defeat. He picked up what seemed to be the smallest bottle and discreetly asked the price. He was glad to 20.__________ a mere five guineas and he beat a hasty retreat, clutching the precious bottle under his arm. From then on, Harry decided that this little game he had invented might prove to be expensive. The curious bottle which now adorns the bookcase in his study was his first and last purchase of rare cosmetics.
Lesson 53 In the public interest
The Scandinavian countries are much admired all over the world for their 1. . Sweden has evolved an excellent system for protecting the individual citizen from 2. public officers. The system has worked so well, that it has been adopted in other countries too.
The Swedes were the first to recognize that public official like civil servants, police officers, 3. or tax-collectors can make mistakes or 4. in the belief that they are serving the public. As long ago as 1809, the Swedish Parliament introduced 5. the interest of the individual. A parliamentary committee representing all political parties appoints a person who is 6. to investigate private grievances against the State. The official title of the person is 'Justiteombudsman', but the Swedes commonly 7. the 'J.O.' or 'Ombudsman'. The Ombudsman is not subject to political pressure. He 8. large and small that come to him from all levels of society. As complaints must be made in writing, the Ombudsman receives an average of 1,200 letters a year. He has eight lawyer assistants to help him and examines every single letter in detail. There is 9. about the Ombudsman's work, for his correspondence is open to public inspection. If a citizen's 10. , the Ombudsman will act on his behalf. The action he takes varies according to the nature of the complaint. He may 11.___________________ an official or even suggest to parliament that a law be altered. The following case is a typical example of the Ombudsman's work.
A foreigner living in a Swedish village wrote to the Ombudsman complaining that he 12.____________________ by the police, simply because he was a foreigner. The Ombudsman immediately wrote to the Chief of Police in the district asking him to send a record of the case. There was nothing in the record to show that the foreigner's complaint was justified and the Chief of Police strongly 13. . It was impossible for the Ombudsman to take action, but when he received a similar complaint from another foreigner in the same village, he immediately sent one of his lawyers to 14. . The lawyer 15._______________________ a policeman had indeed dealt roughly with foreigners 16._________________________. The fact that the policeman 17.______________________ foreigners could not be recorded in the official files. It was only possible for the Ombudsman to find this out by sending one of his representatives to check the facts. The policeman 18._______________ was severely reprimanded and was informed that if any further complaints 19. him, he would be prosecuted. The Ombudsman's prompt action at once put an end to an unpleasant practice which might have 20. .
Lesson 54 Instinct or cleverness
We have been brought up to fear insects. We regard them as unnecessary creatures that do more harm than good. We continually 1. _______________ them, for they 2. ___________ our food, carry diseases, or 3. ________ our crops. They sting or bite without 4. _____________; they fly uninvited into our rooms on summer nights, or beat against our lighted windows. We live in dread not only of unpleasant insects like spiders or wasps, but of quite harmless ones like moths. Reading about them increases our understanding 5. ____________________________. Knowing that the 6. _________ ant lives in a highly organized society does nothing to prevent us from being filled with revulsion when we find 7. ____________ them crawling over a carefully prepared picnic lunch. No matter how much we like honey, or how much we have read about the 8. __________ sense of direction which bees possess, we have a horror of being stung. Most of our fears are unreasonable, but they are impossible to erase. At the same time, however, insects are strangely fascinating. We enjoy reading about them, especially when we find that, like the praying mantis, they lead perfectly horrible lives. We enjoy staring at them, 9. __________ as they 10. __________________________, unaware (we hope) of our presence. Who has not stood in awe at the sight of a spider 11. ________________ a fly, or a column of ants triumphantly bearing home an enormous dead beetle
Last summer I spent days in the garden watching thousands of ants crawling up the trunk of my prize peach tree. The tree has grown against a warm wall on a sheltered side of the house. I am especially proud of it, not only because it has survived several severe winters, but because it occasionally produces 12. ___________ peaches. During the summer, I noticed that the leaves of the tree were beginning to 13. __________. 14. ________________tiny insects called aphids were to be found on the 15. ___________ of the leaves. They were visited by a large colony of ants which obtained a sort of honey from them. I immediately 16. ________________ an experiment which, even though it failed to get rid of the ants, kept me fascinated for twenty-four hours. I bound the base of the tree with sticky tape, making it impossible for the ants to reach the aphids. The tape was so sticky that they did not dare to cross it. For a long time, I watched them 17. ___________________ the base of the tree in bewilderment. I even went out at midnight with a torch and noted with satisfaction (and surprise) that the ants were still 18. ________________________________ without being able to do anything about it. I got up early next morning hoping to find that the ants had given up 19. ______________. Instead, I saw that they had discovered a new route. They were climbing up the wall of the house and then on to the leaves of the tree. I realized sadly that I had been completely defeated by their 20. _____________. The ants had been quick to find an answer to my thoroughly unscientific methods!
Lesson 55 From the earth: Greetings
Recent developments in 1. have made it possible to detect planets in our own 2. and in other galaxies. This is a major achievement because, 3. , planets are very small and do not emit light. Finding planets is proving hard enough, but finding life on them will 4. . The first question to answer is whether a planet can actually support life. In our own 5. , for example, Venus is far too hot and Mars is far too cold to support life. Only the Earth provides ideal conditions, and even here it has taken more than four billion years for plant and animal life to evolve.
Whether a planet can support life depends on the 6. of its star, that is its 'sun'. Imagine a star up to twenty times larger, brighter and hotter than our own sun. A planet would have to be a very long way from it to 7. supporting life. 8. , if the star were small, the life-supporting planet would have to have 9. round it and also provide the perfect conditions for life forms to develop. But how would we find such a planet At present, there is no telescope 10. that is capable of detecting the presence of life. The development of such a telescope will be one of the 11. of the twenty-first century.
It is impossible to look for life on another planet using 12. . Our own warm atmosphere and the heat generated by the telescope would make it impossible to detect objects as small as planets. Even a telescope in orbit round the earth, like the very successful Hubble telescope, would not be suitable because of the 13. in our solar system. A telescope would have to be as far away as the planet Jupiter to look for life in outer space, because the dust becomes thinner the further we travel towards the 14. of our own solar system. Once we detected a planet, we would have to find a way of blotting out the light from its star, so that we would be able to 'see' the planet properly and analyse its atmosphere. 15. , we would be looking for plant life, rather than 'little green men'. The life forms most likely to develop on a planet would be bacteria. It is bacteria that 16. we breathe on earth. For most of the earth's history they have been the only form of life on our planet. As Earth-dwellers, we always 17. that we will be visited by little green men and that we will be able to communicate with them. But this hope is always 18. of science fiction. If we were able to discover 19. like bacteria on another planet, it would completely change our view of ourselves. As Daniel Goldin of NASA observed, 'Finding life elsewhere would change everything. No 20. or thought would be unchanged by it.
Lesson 56 Our Neighbour, the river
The river which forms the 1. of our farm has always played an important part in our lives. Without it we could not 2. . There is only enough spring water to 3. __ the needs of the house, so we have to pump from the river for farm use. We tell the river all our secrets. We know 4. , just as beekeepers with their bees, that misfortune might overtake us if the important events of our lives were not 5. it.
We have special river birthday parties in the summer. Sometimes we go up-stream to a favourite backwater, some- times we have our party at the boathouse, which a 6. of ours at the farm built in the meadow hard by the deepest pool for swimming and diving. In a heat-wave we choose a 7. and that is the most exciting of all. We welcome the seasons by the river- side, 8. the youngest girl with flowers in the spring, holding a summer festival on Midsummer Eve, 9. the harvest in the autumn, and throwing a holly wreath into the current in the winter.
After a long 10. of rain the river may overflow its banks. This is a rare 11._____ as our climate seldom god to extremes. We are lucky in that only the lower fields, which 12._________a very small proportion of our farm, are affected by flooding, but other farms are less favourably sited, and flooding can sometimes spell disaster for their owners.
One bad winter we watched the river 13. the lower meadows. All the cattle had been moved into stalls and we stood to lose little. We were, however, 14. our nearest neighbours, whose farm was low lying and who were newcomers to the district. As the floods had put the telephone out of order, we could not 15. how they were managing. From an attic window we could get a sweeping view of the river where their land joined ours, and at the most 16. we took turns in watching that point. The first sign of disaster was a dead sheep 17. down. Next came a horse, swimming bravely, but we were afraid that the strength of the current would prevent its landing anywhere before it became 18.________. Suddenly a raft 19. , looking rather like Noah's ark, carrying the whole family, a few hens, the dogs, a cat, and a bird in a cage. We realized that they must have become unduly frightened by the rising flood, for their house, which had sound foundations, would have stood stoutly even if it had been almost submerged. The men of our family waded down through our flooded meadows with boathooks, 20. being able to grapple a corner of the raft and pull it out of the current towards our bank. We still think it a miracle that they were able to do so.
Lesson 57 Back In the Old Country
I stopped to let the car 1.__________and to study the map. I had expected to be near my 2.___________ by now, but everything still 3._____________ to me. I was only five when my father had taken me abroad, and that we eighteen years ago. When my mother had died after a 4._____________, he did not quickly recover from 5._________________. Everything around him was full of her 6.__________, continually 7._____________. So he decided to 8.__________. In the new country he became 9.__________ in making a new life for the two of us, so that he gradually ceased to 10._________. He did not marry again and I was brought up without a woman's care; but I 11.___________, for he was both father and mother to me. He always meant to go back on day, but not to stay. His roots and mine bad become too 12.______________ in the new land. But he wanted to see the old folk again and to visit my mother's grave. He became mortally ill a few months before we had planned to go and, when he knew that he was dying, he made me 13._____________ on my own.
I hired a car the day after landing and bought a 14____________ book of maps, which I found most helpful on the cross-country journey, but which I did not think I should need on the last stage. It was not that I actually remembered anything at all. But my father had described over and over again what we should see at every15. ____________, after leaving the nearest town, so that I was positive I should recognize it as16._____________. Well, I had been wrong, for I was now lost.
I looked at the map and then at the millimeter. I had come ten miles since leaving the town, and at this point, 17.______________ my father, I should be looking at farms and cottages in a valley, with the spire of the church of our village showing in the far distance. I could see no valley, no farms, no cottages and no church spire -- only a lake. I decided that I must have taken a wrong turning somewhere. So I drove back to the town and began to 18._______________, taking frequent glances at the map. I landed up at the same corner. The curious thing was that the lake was not marked on the map. I left as if I had stumbled into a nightmare country, as you sometimes do in dreams. And, as in a nightmare, there was nobody in sight to help me. Fortunately for me, as I was wondering what to do next, there appeared 19._______________ a man on horseback, riding in my direction. I waited till he came near, then I asked him the way to our old village. He said that there was now no village. I thought he must have misunderstood me, so I repeated its name. This time he pointed to the lake. The village no longer existed because it had been submerged, and all the valley too. The lake was not a natural one, but 20.____________________.
Lesson 58 A spot of bother
The old lady was glad to be back at the block of flats where she lived. Her shopping had tired her and her basket and grown heavier 1. of the way home. In the lift her thoughts were on lunch and a good rest; but when she got out at her own floor, both were forgotten in her sudden discovery that her front door was open. She was thinking that she must 2. her home help the next morning for such a 3. , when she remembered that she had gone shopping after the home help had left and she knew that she had turned both keys in their locks. She walked slowly into the hall and at once noticed that all the room doors were open, yet following her 4. she had shut them before going out. Looking into the drawing room, she saw 5. over by her writing desk. It was as clear as daylight then that burglars had 6. during her 7. . Her first impulse was to go round all the rooms looking for the thieves, but then she decided that at her age it might be more 8. to have someone with her, so she went to fetch the porter from his basement. By this time her legs were beginning to 9. , so she sat down and accepted a cup of very strong tea, while he telephoned the police. Then, her composure regained, she was ready to set off with the porter's assistance to search for any 10. who might still be 11. in her flat. They went through the rooms, being careful to touch nothing, as they did not want to 12. the police in their search for fingerprints.
The chaos was . She had lived in the flat for thirty years and was a 13. magpie at hoarding; and it seemed as though everything she 14. and turned over and over. At least sorting out the things she should have 15. years ago was now being made easier for her. Then a police inspector arrived with a constable and she told them of her discovery of the ransacked flat. The inspector began to look for fingerprints, while the constable checked that the front door locks had not been forced, thereby proving that the burglars had either used 16. or entered over the balcony. There was no trace of fingerprints, but the inspector found a dirty red bundle that 17. which the old lady said was not hers. So their entry into this flat was 18. not the burglars' first job that day and they must have been disturbed. The inspector then asked the old lady to try to check what was missing by the next day and advised her not to stay alone in the flat for a few nights. The old lady though he was a 19. , but since the porter agreed with him, she rang up her daughter and asked for her help in what she described as 20. .
Lesson 59 Collecting
People tend to 1. __________________, sometimes without being aware of doing so. Indeed they can have a delightful surprise when they find something useful which they did not know they owned. Those who never have to move house become 2. _____________ collectors of what can only be described as 3. _________. They leave unwanted objects in drawers, cupboards and attics for years, in the belief that they may one day need just those very things. As they grow old, people also 4. _______________________ for two other reasons, lack of physical and mental energy, both of which are 5. __________ in turning out and throwing away, and 6. ___________. Things owned for a long time are full of associations with the past, perhaps with relatives who are dead, and so they gradually acquire a value beyond their true worth.
Some things are collected deliberately in the home in an attempt to avoid waste. Among these I would list string and brown paper, kept by 7. _________ people when a parcel has been opened, to save buying these two 8. ___________. Collecting small items can easily become a 9. ________.
I know someone who always 10. ____________________ from newspapers of model clothes that she would like to buy if she had the money. As she is not rich, the chances that she will ever be able to afford such purchases are 11. _________; but she is never 12. _________________________ to be able to stop the practice. It is a harmless habit, but it litters up her desk to such an extent that every time she opens it, loose bits of paper fall out in every direction.
Collecting as a serious hobby is quite different and has many advantages. It provides relaxation for leisure hours, as just looking at one's treasures is always a joy. One does not have to go outside for amusement, since the collection is housed at home. Whatever it 13. _______________, stamps, records, first editions of books, china, glass, 14. _____________________, pictures, model cars, stuffed birds, toy animals, there is always something to do in connection with it, from finding the right place for the latest addition, to 15. ____________ facts in reference books. This hobby educates one not only in the chosen subject, but also in general matters which 16. _________________________ it.
There are also other benefits. One wants to meet like-minded collectors, to get advice, to compare notes, to exchange articles, to show off the latest find. So one's circle of friends grows.
Soon the hobby leads to travel, perhaps to a meeting in another town, possibly a trip abroad in search of a rare 17. ___________, for collectors are not 18. ____________ to any one country. Over the years, one may well become an authority on one's hobby and will very probably be asked to give informal talks to little gatherings and then, if successful, to larger audiences. In this way self-confidence grows, first from mastering a subject, then from being able to talk about it. Collecting, by occupying spare time so 19. _____________, makes a person 20. ____________, with no time for boredom.
Lesson 60 Too early and too late
1.______________ is a necessary habit in all public affairs in civilized society. Without it, nothing could ever be 2._________________________; everything would be in state of chaos. Only in a 3._______________ rural community is it possible to disregard it. In ordinary living, there can be some tolerance of unpunctuality. The intellectual, who is working on some 4._________________, has everything coordinated and organized for the matter in hand. He is therefore forgiven if late for a dinner party. But people are often 5._________________ for unpunctuality when their only fault is cutting things fine. It is hard for energetic, 6._________________ people to waste time, so they are often tempted to finish a job before setting out to keep an appointment. If no accidents occur on the way, like punctured tires, diversions of traffic, sudden descent of fog, they will be on time. They are often more 7.____________________ than those who are never late. The over-punctual can be as much 8._________________ others as the unpunctual. The guest who arrives half an hour too soon is the greatest nuisance. Some friends of my family had this 9._____________________. The only thing to do was ask them to come half an hour later than the other guests. Then they arrived just when we wanted them.
If you are catching a train, it is always better to be comfortably early than even a 10._________________ of a minted too late. Although being early may mean wasting a little time, this will be less than if you miss the train and have to wait an hour or more for the next one; and you 11.____________________ of arriving at the very moment when the train is drawing out of the station and being unable to get on it. An even harder situation is to be on the platform in good time for a train and still to see it go off without you. Such an experience 12._________________ a certain young girl the first time she was traveling alone.
She entered the station twenty minutes before the train was due, since her parents had impressed upon her that it would be 13.____________________ and cause the friends with whom she was going to stay to make two journeys to meet her. She gave her luggage to a porter and showed him her ticket.14._________________ he said that she was two hours too soon. She felt inhere handbag for the piece of paper on which her father had written down all the details of the journey and gave it to the porter. He agreed that a train did come into the station at the time 15._________________ and that it did stop, but only to take on mail, not passengers. The girl asked to see a timetable, feeling sure that her father could not have made such a mistake. The porter went to16. ________________________ with the station master, who produced it with a flourish and pointed out a 17._______________ 'o' beside the time of the arrival of the train at his station; this little 'o' indicated that the train only stopped for mail. Just as that moment the train came into the station. The girl, tears 18.______________________, begged to be allowed to slip into the guard's van. But the station master was 19._________________: rules could not be broken and she had to watch that train disappear 20. ____________________ while she was left behind.
答案
Lesson 41 Illusions of pastoral peace
City born and city bred
yearn for the peace of the country
extol the virtues of
maintains
superior to
the proximity to nature
the twittering of birds at dawn
idyllic picture
the poor selection of goods
could have saved themselves so much misery and expense
provide you with the best that life can offer
are always available for
and spend a few expensive hours there
As this is not always the case
experiences this anxiety
make do with second-best
stock up on
descends on the city
stay at home
always insist that
Lesson 42 Modern Cavemen
as it has come to be known
desire for solitude
depths
satisfactory explanation
peculiar fascination
arouse instincts which can only be dimly understood
careful organization
supply bases
Preparations of this sort
foretell the exact nature
extends to a depth
tunneled a course
barely noticeable
remains to be explored
steep sides
swam across
unearthly
Making their way through
stalagmites
dripped continuously
Lesson 43 Fully insured
Insurance companies
property
Naturally
paid out large sums of money
repairing a damaged ship
For one thing
agricultural
transport
As soon as
capsized
Shivering in their wet clothes
dived repeatedly
locate
difficulty in locating
slippery surface
attached to the chains
teetered
righted itself
vertically
sliding back into
Lesson 44 Speed and comfort
get cramped
take your mind off
lulls you to sleep
is out of the question
fumbling with
Inevitably you arrive at your destination almost exhausted
the greater part of the journey
sea journeys
stretch your legs on the spacious decks
get seasick
No matter how pleasant it is
have the reputation of
nothing can match them for
an exhilarating experience
are free from the strain of driving
keep you occupied
soar over
stretch out below you
distract you
recovering from a long and arduous journey
Lesson 45 The power of the press
restrict the freedom
few of us like to think
Though it is true
have the power to influence people's behavior
became famous overnight
23,000 inhabitants
perpetual struggle against poverty
financial burdens
would have passed unnoticed
parents of quintuplets
bringing sixty reporters and photographers
swift
exclusive rights
poured in
soap manufacturers
$100,000
act as spokesmen
oxygen tents
lead a normal life again
commercialization
Lesson 46 Do it yourself
our passion for
increasingly less dependent
profess to have a detailed knowledge
so many specializations
embark on
installing their own fireplaces
keen enthusiasts
advisory services
creative energy
born handy
like to pose as
under the delusion
a question of pride
got round to
proceeded to take it apart
But I soon discovered
with bits of metal
traced the cause
challenge
small pieces left over
Lesson 47 Too high a price
the price we pay
over-industrialized
throw it away
or
the sheer volume
continues to grow
chemical fertilizers and pesticides
avoid paying for this sort of thing
organically-grown
a harmless
more insidious form
actually assist burglars
profound irritation
barking
at maximum volume
contribution
the worst offenders
staggering
their partners' snoring
most precious commodity
Lesson 48 The silent village
inaccessible to tourists
friendly and hospitable
cut off
be hostile to
rare and unforgettable experiences
and historical monuments
of great architectural interest
beautifully preserved frescoes
invaded
exploring the countryside
peter out
wandered through
had no idea
moored to the bank
fast asleep
ferry us across
staring at something with a fixed gaze
made no response
came to life
It was evident
Lesson 49 The ideal servant
talk
the ideal servant
extremely proud of
persisted in
keep her house immaculate
immaculate
kept miraculously free
with such frequency
enlightened attitude
professed to be a great admirer
disillusioned
endeared herself to everyone
impeccable service
not up to
knocking over
narrowly missing
was horrified
pudding incident
dismissed on the spot
apparently
Lesson 50 New Year resolutions
a time for resolutions
compile formidable lists
monotonous regularity
beyond our grasp
as we are
self-improvement
fundamental error
physical exercise
applied myself
effort
creep down
human frame
exhausted condition
betrayed me
gathered round
enthusiasm waned
cut into my reading time
temptation
dozing
entitled
Lesson 51 Predicting the future
notoriously
mainframe computers
occupying
required a team of operators
taken over by
launched
sophisticated
Considering
remarkable
dismissed
foresaw a time
alternative routes
diagnose illnesses
relieve
perform
commonplace
allows us to
access
look so remarkable
were
Lesson 52 Mud is mud
keeps a curious
delicate shade
liquid
perfumed mud
any doubts
rub some into your skin
brief experiment
came into the possession
relating
ask
fanciful names
pretend to
get away with this
resort to
exclusive
bewilderment
make perfumes
answered
bewilderment
pay
Lesson 53 In the public interest
social welfare systems
over-zealous
health inspectors
act over-zealously
a number of measures to protect
qualified to
refer to him as
deals with complaints
nothing secretive
complaint is justified
gently reprimand
had been unfairly treated
denied the accusation
investigate the matter
found that
on several occasions
had been rough with
in question
were lodged against
gone unnoticed
Lesson 54 Instinct or cleverness
wage war on
contaminate
devour
provocation
without dispelling our fears
industrious
a trail of
amazing
entranced
go about their business
pouncing on
luscious
wither
Closer inspection revealed that
undersides
set about making
creeping up and down
hovering around the tape
their attempt to reach the aphids
ingenuity
Lesson 55 From the earth: Greetings
astronomy and space exploration
solar system
in contrast to stars
prove infinitely more difficult
solar system
size and brightness
be capable of
Conversely
to be very close
on earth
great astronomical projects
visible light
dust particles
outer edges
Assuming this is possible
are responsible for the oxygen
cherish the hope
the product
even the simplest forms of life
human belief
Lesson 56 Our Neighbour, the river
boundary
survive
meet
instinctively
related to
predecessor
particularly deep pool
crowning
celebrating
spell
occurrence
constitute
submerge
concerned about
find out
critical moment
floating
exhausted
appeared
succeeding in
Lesson 57 Back In the Old Country
cool down
destination
looked alien
tragic accident
his grief
presence
reopening old wounds
go abroad
immersed
grieve
was never lonely
firmly embedded
promise to go
comprehensive
milestone
soon as we came to it
according to
retrace my steps
in the distance
a man-made reservoir
Lesson 58 A spot of bother
with each step
remonstrate with
negligent act
usual practice
a scene of confusion
broken in
absence
prudent
tremble
intruders
hiding
hinder
dreadful
possessed had been tossed
discarded
a skeleton key
contained jewellery
plain
fussy creature
a little spot of bother
Lesson 59 Collecting
amass possessions
compulsive
clutter
accumulate more possessions
essential
sentiment
thrifty
indispensable items
mania
cuts out from newspapers
remote
sufficiently strong-minded
consists of
antique furniture
verifying
have some bearing on
specimen
confined
completely
contented and happy
Le

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